Two Lives, One Heart
by KayBeth13
Summary: Joey Hotchner left one life behind to start anew in D.C with her beloved uncle. She wasn't expecting to fall in love, and she certainly wasn't expecting her past to chase after her. A past with deadly intentions...Spencer/OC
1. Moving In

_Hey guys, time for a new fanfic! This time I opted for Criminal Minds as it's a new love of mine. This is a Spencer/OC fic and the OC is going to be Hotch's niece. I know his brother is a lot younger than him but please bear with me as I needed him to be a bit older so that my character's age fits. Anyhoo, I hope you enjoy it and please, don't forget to review!_

Joey glanced out of the window and looked fondly out at the Dallas skyline below her as it faded beneath the clouds. She sat back in her seat and pulled out her I-pod, quickly flicking it to one of her favourite songs as she let out a sigh. _Two hours_ she mused as she closed her eyes and let the world around her disappear, focusing only on her music.

Before she knew it, she was being jerked awake from the plane landing. Her eyes opened and she glanced out of the window, a grin crossing her face as the announcement came over the speakers that they had landed in Washington D.C. She threw her belongings back of her bag and waited, not-so patiently for the signal to leave the plane. She'd waited for years for the opportunity to be here, and now she was there, she couldn't contain her excitement.

At the grand old age of fifteen, she finished high school. By the age of eighteen she'd completed her first degree in Biology. By the age of twenty, she'd completed her second degree in Pharmacology and had completed her first master's degree in Human Anatomy. Now, at the age of twenty one, she'd decided to move to the capital to be closer to her extended family and also go to med school at George Washington University to finally become a doctor.

When she eventually exited the plane and made it through customs, she instantly headed to the main gate and looked around for her family. It wasn't long before she found them. Or more, they found her.

"Joey!"

The next thing Joey knew, something very fast and solid collided into her and a small pair of arms wrapped round her waist. She instantly crouched down and put her arms round the three year old, hugging him tightly.

"Hey Jack! Oh, I've missed you so, so much!"

She hugged him even tighter and when she heard a chuckle above her, she looked up, a wide smile on her face. She unravelled herself from the young boy's arms and leant up to hug her uncle.

"Hey Uncle Aaron."

Aaron Hotchner smiled warmly as he felt her familiar embrace. It had been almost a year since he last saw his niece and he was glad to see she was well, her usual smile spread across her face. To look at, she was so similar to both her parents, an even mix of Sean's tall, slender build and hair with her mother's beauty and bright blue eyes that tended to change shades depending on her mood. Right now, they were shining brightly, reflecting the excitement radiating off her.

"Okay, let's say we get home," he said, picking Jack up off the floor. "Daddy needs sleep."

Jack, oblivious to the meaning of his father's words, simply stared at his cousin with child-like interest. Joey on the other hand, didn't miss the tiredness in her uncle's voice as he spoke.

"Did you just get back from a job?" she asked him, noticing for the first time the blackening under his eyes, signalling the lack of sleep he'd obviously had.

Aaron nodded before flinching slightly, causing Joey to raise an eyebrow in his direction.

"You okay?" she asked him, a worried frown crossing her face.

Knowing it was no good lying to her, Aaron shook his head.

"Not exactly. The last job I was on involved my car blowing up. We lost an agent and my eardrums were quite badly damaged. I've just got back from a check up at the hospital, so my ears are a bit sensitive."

Joey nodded in understanding and as they approached the car, she wordlessly held her hand out, moving to the driver's door. Aaron rolled his eyes but without arguing, gave her the keys and decided to let her drive. Joey grinned at her once in a lifetime victory over her uncle and winked playfully at him as he slid into the passenger seat.

"You seem happy." He said, a slight smirk gracing his face.

"You kidding me? It's not every day I get to drive, plus I get to drive _your _car, with _you_ in it. That doesn't happen every day."

Aaron's smirk grew and he chuckled. Joey grinned back at him before heading off. It didn't take long to reach the Hotchner's residence and she smiled warmly at the sight of Hayley hurrying out the door to greet them. As her aunt scooped her up into a hug, Joey let out a contented sigh.

She was home.


	2. The First Letter

_Hi guys, hope you enjoyed the first chapter! There will be more back story to Joey as we go on and this chapter starts to show hints of that. Hope you enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: I forgot it last chapter but I will say it now and only once: ME NO OWNY CRIMINAL MINDS. I only own Joey and any other OC's that will be cropping up!_

Chapter 2

It didn't take long for Joey to settle in. Within two days of arriving, her belongings arrived after being sent to her by her dad. On the third day she entered her first lecture and met her fellow classmates. Thankfully, the class was only made up of 12 people in total, making it easier for introductions to be made.

On the fourth day, there was a knock on the door and Hayley answered it only to be scooped up into her husband's arms, a firm kiss placed on her lips. Joey, who had chosen that moment to come down the stairs, groaned.

"Eww, get a room you guys"

A chuckle from behind the kissing pair broke Joey's concentration. She glanced behind Aaron to see three faces looking at her, all with various smiles. Joey took less than a second to register who they were before flinging herself down the stairs and squealing happily as she jumped into the arms of one Derek Morgan. Morgan laughed at the young woman's actions and pulled her into a friendly hug.

"Derek! Oh my God, how are you?"

Derek laughed again and gave her an extra squeeze before letting her go.

"Hey short stuff." He said as he ruffled her hair.

Joey responded simply by pushing his arm away and elbowing him in the side. He feigned falling over from pain and she forced herself to resist the urge to hit him for real, instead turning and putting her arms round a laughing Penelope Garcia. Emily gave her a quick squeeze and brushed some of the blonde's hair off her face.

"You look so grown up!" Garcia exclaimed.

Joey shrugged slightly.

"Well, I was only sixteen the last time you saw me."

Garcia gasped, eyes wide.

"Really! It was that long ago? Jeeze, you are never leaving my sight again young lady!"

Joey laughed and broke away from the older woman, noticing with amusement that her beady eyes never left her. She turned to face the last remaining visitor and gave a small smile, not quite sure whether to hug him or simply smile. He answered for her and gave her a small, albeit awkward hug.

"Hey Spencer"

Spencer Reid gave her a small smile and a friendly one fingered salute.

"Garcia's right, you do look older"

She raised an eyebrow and tilted her head.

"Really? Spencer, you only saw me three months ago!"

As the group laughed at the blushing genius, a sudden thought hit Hayley. She turned to Aaron and gave her husband a curious glance.

"Wait. Why are you home so early? It's only 12pm. You're not normally home until about 6."

Aaron gave Hayley a wide smile and spoke quietly so his niece couldn't hear him.

"We were all given a half day, so I decided to treat you, Jack and Joey. It's a break day for you and a welcome home gift for Joey. These guys came with me to persuade you to come."

"Come where?" Joey asked, breaking her conversation with Morgan.

"You'll see" the agent responded, a small smirk on his face.

Knowing Morgan and Garcia wouldn't tell her where they were going, she turned her gaze to Spencer. When their eyes connected, Joey wanted to smile. She'd known Spencer for only a couple of years but in that time they'd become good friends, despite only meeting three times face to face, on the occasions that the BAU had finished a case near her hometown. Spencer knew that he would break and tell her the surprise if he kept eye contact, so forced himself to look away, smiling gently when he heard her huff.

Aaron smirked at his niece's actions and gave Hayley one more kiss before moving up the stairs to Jack's room and scooping him up.

"Daddy!" the little boy squealed, laughter pealing from his lips.

"Come on sprout, we're going for a family day"

As he waited for Jack to put his shoes on, Aaron quickly changed into recreational clothes before meeting his family at the front door. Together with the other agents, they piled into the waiting vehicles. A short drive later and they pulled up in the car park of Rock Creek Park. Joey felt a huge smile cross her face at the sight of the park entrance. Ever since she was a baby, her family had taken her to Rock Creek for picnics. As she'd grown older and her dad had moved her away, the visits became much less frequent, however Aaron always made sure to take her whenever she visited. Once Jack had been born, the visits became even less frequent but during that time, Morgan had been the one to take her, usually with his dog Clooney. Spencer came with them on one occasion but after Clooney decided he didn't like the doctor, they decided not to do it again.

Now though, there was no Clooney, so Reid was free to come with them. They all took the usual route to the place they always went to in the park and as they entered the clearing, Joey let out a gasp.

"SURPRISE!"

Standing next to the lake bank were the familiar faces of Prentiss, JJ, Rossi and a couple of old friends from her childhood, mainly her best friends Kiya and Maxie. Joey ran up to them and one by one, hugged everyone. As she parted she gave them all a questioning glance.

"What is all this?"

An arm came round her shoulders and she leaned into Derek's solid chest.

"It's a bit of a welcome home gift."

Joey looked at her friends, all sitting round, laughing and joking and felt herself fighting tears that had crept up in her eyes. She swallowed down the small lump in her throat as Derek removed his arm from her and joined the group. A hand touched her arm and she glanced up at Spencer as he smiled down at her, his usual deep brown eyes making her insides feel like they were melting. She smiled back at him, fighting the blush trying to creep across her face, replacing the tears in her eyes.

"Hey Spencer."

"Hey, are you okay? You seem a little...detached there." He joked.

Joey shook her head and smiled.

"Yeah doc, I'm fine. Just a little emotional." She grinned.

Spencer grinned back and squeezed her arm.

"Come on, let's go have fun" he spoke.

Snapping out of her daze, Joey glanced next to Spencer and at the site of the lake right next to him, a devilish grin crossed her face. Using all her strength, she pushed him and with a loud yelp, he fell into the water. The rest of the group fell silent as they watched him flounder. He glared up at Joey.

"What was that for!" he yelled, his voice climbing an octave.

Joey grinned.

"You said to have fun." She answered calmly.

The silence of the group was broken by Morgan as he caught a glimpse of Spencer's indignant expression and promptly burst out laughing. One by one, the group joined him until they were all collapsed in a pile of laughter. Joey clutched her stomach through laughing so hard and after accepting his fate and relaxing, even Spencer had to chuckle.

It was late when they returned home. Jack, who had fallen asleep in the park, slept through the whole car journey home and had to be carried to bed by Hayley when they returned. Hotch watched his wife and son with a soft look and Joey sank down on the sofa, stretching out and smiling as she reflected on the day's events. After a few minutes, Hayley returned and tapped Joey on the head before handing her a letter and disappearing back up the stairs after saying a sleepy goodnight. Aaron squeezed his niece's shoulder as he too went to bed and Joey gave him a small, tired smile in return. Once her uncle was out of sight, she glanced down at the letter and instantly froze. She ripped the envelope open and as her eyes grazed over the words, she shook slightly.

_To my dearest Joey,_

_I know why you really left Dallas. I'm so sorry for what I did to you, you deserved so much better than that. I've learnt my lesson since being incarcerated and I really wish to make it up to you; y'know, start again? I can't stop thinking about you, us and what was meant to be. _

_Please give me a second chance. I've sent this letter to all addresses I know that you may go to in the hope that somehow, you can find it in your heart to forgive me for my sins. God has forgiven me and made me see the error of my ways, I hope you can do the same._

_All my love, forever,_

_Mike._

Anger suddenly flowed through her and she crushed the letter in her hand. She walked up to her room and threw the letter in the trash, not wanting to see his handwriting any more. She dropped onto the bed and before she knew it, she'd drifted off into a deep sleep, not even caring that she was still fully clothed.


	3. Minimal Loss

_AN: So it's the next chapter! Special thanks to hazy sea for your review :) Hope everyone enjoys and thanks for the favourites and alerts! Please don't forget to review, I need to know that the story is making sense because I'm pretty much letting my hands type and not really focussing on technicalities, I'm letting the creativity take place over everything school teaches you! :P Enjoy!_

_..._

_Joey smiled warmly as she stroked the ever-growing bump that was her stomach. In just a few months, she would meet her baby, marry Mike and they would be a family. She didn't care that she was only seventeen; after all, she had a good head one her shoulders and the man of her dreams by her side. Well, almost always the man of her dreams, but not that night._

_The front door slammed open and Mike came stumbling into the room, reeking of beer. He tripped to the side, bumping into the door frame and flung his arm out._

"_Hey babies, you miss me?" he slurred._

_Joey frowned and stepped up to him, letting him pull her into a clumsy hug. He sloppily kissed the top of her head and let her go to stagger to the kitchen._

"_Your dad got beer?" he questioned._

"_Haven't you had enough?" Joey asked him jokingly._

_As if a switch went off, he spun round and pushed her up against the wall. Joey let out a yelp and looked at him with fearful eyes._

"_Do not talk back to me." He spat._

_The smell of his breath combined with the fear of the situation made her sensitive stomach lurch and before she knew it, she bent over and released the contents of her stomach onto the floor. Unfortunately, she also hit Mike's shoes and she wasn't expecting the reaction she received._

"_Bitch!"_

_Something collided with her head and she fell forwards, landing in the contents on the floor. She quickly scrambled up again and looked at her usually gentle and calm boyfriend. _

"_I'm sorry!" she yelled as he stepped towards her._

_Her yell temporarily made him pause, but then his eyes narrowed and she took a step back, her foot colliding with the bottom stair. Not even thinking, she turned and flew up the stairs, her brain telling her to get to the one room with a lock; the bathroom. She had her foot on the top step when a hand grabbed her arm and once again she was slammed up against the wall. She let out a pained scream as her head banged against the brick and black spots exploded in her vision. She pushed against him, but it only fuelled his anger. With a roar, he pushed her and before she knew it, she was falling backwards, her vision becoming blurry as she descended further and further..._

Joey woke with a scream, her hand automatically curling round her stomach, cradling the child she knew wasn't there. Her breath came out in short, shallow gasps and it took her a few seconds to register that the noise she could hear was actually her own voice. Less than five seconds later, heavy footsteps thudded down the hallway and her door was slammed open, causing her to flinch, even though she knew it was her uncle. She blinked as the light came on and saw him standing there, his gun drawn. She sighed.

"Sorry Uncle Aaron. Bad dream."

Aaron lowered his gun and gave her a small frown.

"That was more than just a bad dream Joey. You were screaming in terror."

Joey shrugged before slumping back, resting her back up against the wall.

"I'm sorry. It was just a _really _bad dream."

Aaron sighed and sat down on the bed next to her, placing a hand on her knee before squeezing it and giving her a warm smile.

"Okay honey, just next time try not to give me a heart attack, okay?"

Joey smirked and gave a soft snort.

"Sure thing. Sorry again."

Aaron gave her one more smile before leaving. Joey glanced at the clock and after seeing that it was almost 6am, decided to get up anyway and cook breakfast for her family. As she prepared the food, there was a tap on the window behind her, causing her to drop the bowl she was holding, sending it crashing on to the floor. She cursed as she glared at Derek's smiling face then grimaced as once again, Aaron came running into the room. He too saw Derek and frowned.

"Morgan. What are you doing?"

The smile dropped off Morgan's face and his expression sobered.

"Sorry Hotch, but we got a call. I was on my way in to work when JJ called so I thought I'd swing by and tell you we have a new job. La Plata county Colorado."

Hotch sighed.

"Okay, I'll be five minutes."

Morgan nodded and after smiling to Joey, walked back down the drive and into his car. Aaron quickly told Hayley that he was leaving and gave Jack a warm hug before kissing the top of Joey's head as he walked towards the door and left.

Hayley came into the room a few minutes later, the usual signs of tension on her face that told Joey that she was beginning to dislike Aaron being away so much more and more. She gave her aunt the best smile she could, but Hayley found herself unable to smile back. Joey's face dropped and she instead turned her attention to her cousin.

"Hey buddy, wanna go play?"

"Yeah!" the almost four year-old cheered.

Hayley gave her niece a grateful look and Joey ushered Jack out into the garden to give his mommy some time to herself. Three hours later as she carried an almost sleeping Jack into the house, she wasn't sure who was more exhausted; herself or him. Hayley smiled at them.

"I take it you had fun?" she asked.

Joey nodded.

"Yeah. How are you feeling?"

"Better now. I just hate that he's away so much. When Jack was younger I didn't really mind but now he's at the age where he is learning new things, developing a memory and starting pre-school, it just feels that both Jack and Aaron are missing out on each other more and more."

Joey nodded, understanding her feelings completely.

"I know what you mean. Before mom died, I never really knew my dad. He was always off working or on course after course. Even when mom died, he didn't take the time to care for me and I spent more time here or with grandma and grandpa Hotchner. When they moved to Canada last year, I had to move with dad but hated it; I didn't know who he was. That's why I asked you guys if I could move here with you for med school."

Hayley gave her niece a sympathetic look, knowing how tough she'd had it. She may not have seen much in the way of evil over her life, but as far as Hayley was concerned, not knowing the love and care of a parent was just as scarring. Joey shifted her arms, holding Jack in a more comfortable position and grinned as the toddler's head flopped onto her shoulder, finally asleep.

"I'm going to put him to bed then I have a couple of assignments I need to work on."

Hayley nodded, turning her attention back to the show she was watching. Joey put Jack to bed and slipped into her room to work on one of her many assignments. As if hearing her silent curses, her phone began to buzz. Without looking at the caller, she flipped it open.

"Hello?"

"Joey?"

Joey blinked in surprise. It was Claire, an old accquaintace from Dallas.

"Claire? Why are you calling me?"

"Look, I'm not calling for a friendly chat. I just wanted to give you a warning. Mike's out of prison."

Joey gasped.

"What!"

" I just though you needed to know he's been released and seems pretty hell bent on being with you again."

Joey could hear the bitterness in the other girls voice and frowned.

"You still think I stole him from you don't you? Trust me, if you wanted to be the one who was almost killed and lost their baby, then that's fine. Have a good life."

She hung up before Claire could say another word and slammed her fist on the desk. Her bedroom door creaked open and Hayley's head appeared.

"Everything okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, just an old friend from back home."

Hayley came into the room and sat on the bed.

"That didn't sound very friendly."

Joey sighed and smiled, knowing nothing slipped past her aunt.

"Okay, we used to be friends. You remember Mike, right?"

Hayley pursed her lips. Of course she remembered the scumbag. She remembered flying out to Dallas with Aaron the night they received the call telling them their niece was in hospital, dying and the baby she was carrying was dead. She remembered the day of the trial, when it took both Aaron and Joey to hold her back when she tried launching herself at the teen.

"Yeah, I remember." She spat.

Joey raised an amused eyebrow. She loved how protective her aunt was. Despite the worry of knowing her ex was out of prison and was trying to find her, she still couldn't help but smile.

"Well, Claire had broken up with him a month before. When mike and I started to date, I didn't know that she was trying to get him back and let's just say we went from being best friends to enemies."

She saw Hayley nod and continued, deciding to tell a lie rather than worry her family unnecessarily.

"She was only calling now to brag that she was back with him and that I lost out. I just told her good luck and hoped he wouldn't try to kill her like he did to me and my baby."

She let out a soft sigh and glanced at Hayley, who was still tight lipped.

"Hayley?"

Hayley looked up and smiled.

"Sorry. Old feelings about him sprung up. We're heading into town to change the number on your phone. If she can call you, so can he."

Joey shook her head.

"I have a better idea. I'll ring Garcia and ask her to do it. I can also ask her to put a trace so that if Mike or any of his family try to call using the numbers they used to have then I will know and can contact the police."

"Good idea. Okay then, I'll leave you to get back to your work. Dinner is in an hour, okay?"

"Okay."

As Hayley left, Joey picked up the phone to call Garcia, but getting only voicemail. She left a message explaining her request before continuing her work.

It was almost three days later when she got a call from Garcia. She was lying in the garden, watching Jack run around with a football when her phone buzzed.

"Hey Penelope, thanks for getting back to me."

"Hey honey bunny. Look, this is only a very quick call to say I will sort out your phone as soon as this case is wrapped up. Things are a little hairy out there."

"What's happened? Is everyone alright?"

"Well, Emily and Reid went undercover but they found out Emily is FBI and now they're being held hostage. We think there's a planned mass suicide or something too."

Joey sat up and gripped the phone tighter.

"Penny, how long would it take to fly to Colorado?"

"About 5 hours. You shouldn't go."

"I know but maybe I can help in some way. I have enough medical knowledge to help out in some way."

"Okay, I'll let the others know you're coming."

"Thanks Penny."

"Garcia out."

Joey wasted no time in telling Hayley where she was going and before she knew it she was borrowing her aunt's car and heading to the airport as fast as she dared. When she reached the airport, a receptionist was waiting for her at the desk.

"Miss Hotchner?"

"Yes?"

"An agent by the name of Aaron Hotchner called us and we've been told to escort you to one of the FBI jets."

Joey followed silently as she was led towards one of the jets she'd only heard about from the others. As the plane took off, she noticed a letter on one of the seats with her name on it.

_Joey,_

_I know you want to help, so on this one and __**only**__ occasion, you have been granted clearance by Strauss to offer medical assistance. As you are a temporary agent, this means we can use one of the FBI jets to get you here quickly. I will meet you at the airport and we will be discussing this further._

_Aaron._

Joey gulped as she read the last sentence and put the letter down on the table before sighing as she stared out of the window, her mind relaying all the medical knowledge she had. When they landed, she saw Aaron waiting for her, standing next to one of the FBI vehicles. She joined him and quickly climbed in the car. Aaron wasted no time before questioning her.

"Why are you here Joey?" he asked.

"I couldn't just sit at home knowing people could be seriously hurt out here."

Aaron sighed and glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

"There are plenty of medical staff in Colorado already. Plus, you're not yet a qualified doctor."

"I know that...I just...oh to hell with it! You guys are the only family I have, and to know that you're all out here in possible danger while I sit at home is terrifying me! When I heard, I couldn't sit back, I had to be here. I know I've probably disappointed you but I'm sorry, I just had to!"

Aaron simply pulled the car over and stopped at the side of the road. He turned to face Joey and saw she was looking at the ground.

"Joey, look at me."

She looked up and was surprised to see no anger there, only understanding.

"I'm not disappointed. If anything I'm proud of your courage and devotion. You should think about joining the team. It wouldn't take you long to learn what you need to know and we could always use an official medic on the team for some cases. I'll speak to Strauss about the possibility when we get home, if you like?"

Joey nodded.

"Yeah, I think I'd like that."

Aaron smiled and they resumed their journey back to the team. It was dusk when they arrived and it was chaos. Women and children were being ushered out of a building and gunshots could be heard in the distance. Joey found herself being pushed to the ground by Aaron, just as a bullet struck the car where her chest had been seconds earlier. She stared in horror as she watched people fall to the ground, and ignoring her uncle, she darted out to them, grasping a child and dragging him out of the way.

She looked down and saw a bullet wound in his stomach. She shrugged off her jacket and pressed down on the wound to stem the blood flow. As she pressed, she suddenly realised the child wasn't breathing. Wanting to cry and vomit, she pulled away from him, her eyes wide in horror. A pained cry from behind her brought her to her senses and she turned to face a woman with blood pouring down her face. She noticed a gash on the woman's head and ordered her to sit down before using the same jacket from the boy to press against the wound.

All of a sudden, there was a loud explosion and Joey found herself knocked to the ground from the force of it. With terrified eyes, she looked at the flames consuming the building and screamed.

"Emily! Spencer!"

A pair of arms came round her and she began to kick out as she screamed and sobbed.

"It's okay! Joey, it's okay, they're okay!" a voice yelled.

She realised the person holding her was Morgan and when the words he spoke sank in, she instantly calmed.

"Where are they?" she asked.

Morgan indicated over to where an injured Prentiss was standing and Joey rushed over, throwing her arms round the older woman.

"Joey? What're you doing here?" Prentiss asked.

"Long story." Joey mumbled.

As Prentiss was taken to hospital, Joey saw Spencer standing away from the crowd, staring up at the building. She called out his name and before he had time to properly face her, she jumped on him and wrapped her arms round him, not hiding the fact that she was crying with relief. Spencer automatically put his arms round her and hugged her back, deciding not to ask how she was there and instead, choosing to just go with it.

"Are you okay?" he asked her when he noticed she was crying.

Joey laughed and wiped her face.

"You've been held hostage for two days and are clutching your stomach and you're asking if I'm okay?"

Spencer simply chuckled and hugged her once more, suddenly feeling more at ease with the events that had just occurred.


	4. Traning and Changes

_Hi again! Okay for this chapter, I don't know much about the FBI as I am not an American. I don't know if in the academy there are specialist sectors but I'm going to pretend there are here. Enjoy!_

Upon the return to D.C, Aaron did exactly as he promised for Joey. After speaking with Strauss, Joey was automatically enrolled in the FBI academy, mainly training to become a medic. She continued to study at the university, but elected to take her classes in the evening. She knew it would be tough but she'd been assured by Aaron that with her skills and knowledge, she would be able to pass most of the training within a couple of months and would possibly be able to graduate within six to eight months. The part she most looked forward to was her placement within the BAU. As an FBI cadet, she was to choose one department within the FBI to train under and where she would work once she had graduated. Immediately, she chose the BAU and requested for her training supervisor to be Spencer as she knew he had a bit more time than the others in evenings and weekends and would be able to give more time to help her pass quickly. Spencer agreed to it and she was signed over to his care the following day.

It had been almost a month since she'd joined the academy, and already she'd managed to pass her written and oral exams. The only practical exams she had to pass to graduate were her general fitness, firearms and first aid training. Then she had two weeks of medical exams that were both physical and written. She knew she'd be fine with the medical exams and first aid, but she was slightly more concerned with the physical fitness and outright scared of the firearms training and exam. Fortunately, Morgan was more than prepared to help out with the fitness and Aaron had already stated he was in charge of her firearms training.

"Okay Joey, line up your sights so that you can see the target clearly. Keep both eyes open, or you won't be able to track should your target run. Right, now focus on the target and shoot."

Joey did as Aaron instructed and fired, grinning triumphantly when the bullet went straight through the target's head. She looked up at Aaron, who had a shocked expression on his face.

"Umm, okay. That was pretty good Joey. Try again."

Seven shots later, the target, had it been a really person, would most definitely have been dead. Every shot hit a part of the body that would have been a kill shot. Aaron was stunned, not expecting her to be so good. He gave her an encouraging hug before declaring practice over as she had a lecture starting in two hours and had to get back to DC.

"That was brilliant. Next time, we'll start working with moving targets. If you kill all of them, I'm entering you into the exam early so you'll be one step closer to graduating and joining the team."

Joey nodded enthusiastically before skipping out of the room and up to the BAU office. She saw Morgan talking to an attractive looking woman and rolled her eyes, then smiled warmly when she saw Spencer at his desk, hastily writing something down. She reached into her bag and pulled out a folder then walked over to her training officer.

"Hey Spencer."

Spencer jumped and smiled when he saw her standing next to him. He eyed the folder and gave her a questioning glance.

"You gave me a mock crime setup and asked me to use what I knew to put a profile together and try to figure out the case." She told him.

Spencer's eyes widened as he took the folder and skimmed through it.

"This is pretty impressive stuff Joey. There are a couple of areas you need to work on, but I can go through them with you another time. When are you free?"

Joey paused to think.

"Well, I have a lecture all about cancer treatments then a lecture about microbiology. They finish around 7pm so I guess I could swing by yours after if that's okay? I'll even cook for you."

She winked and he blushed slightly as he lowered his head to his paperwork. He cleared his throat.

"Okay, sounds like a plan. See you at about 7.30?"

Spencer nodded and Joey smiled before leaving. Spencer watched her leave with a smile on his face, but when he saw the smirk Morgan was sending his way, he quickly dropped the smile and turned to Joey's folder, marking areas she needed to improve on.

Joey sat through her lectures but mentally, she wasn't really there. The longer she spent time at the BAU, the more she wanted to be there full-time. She loved medicine but her heart was no longer into becoming a doctor. She frowned at her textbook. The past five years had been leading up to this. Five years, only to go and change her mind within a few months of living with her aunt and uncle.

"Miss Hotchner?"

Joey jerked her head up and looked at her lecturer.

"Sorry, what was that?" she said apologetically.

"I asked you if you knew the structure of neuron tissue."

Joey nodded and told him, not caring that he looked surprised. She didn't tell him she had already finished the textbook, nor did she tell him that when she took a practice exam on the subject with Spencer, she'd aced it with no problems. As the lecturer moved back to his podium, Joey suddenly felt as though she was living in the wrong life. She looked around the room, seeing the rest of her group writing notes, listening to the lecturer or looking at the textbook, each one of them with the same expressions on their faces: interest. It was at that moment Joey realised she was bored, not just of the lecture, but of everything at college.

With that thought, she began to pack her things away and silently left the room, ignoring the questioning looks, whispers and confused people that watched the door shut behind her. She glanced down at the textbook in her arms and sighed, hoping she'd made the right decision. She walked over to the administration office and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Joey went in and sat down in front of the desk.

"Ah, Joey. What can I do for you?"

"I want to transfer courses. I don't think being a doctor is for me anymore."

The officer looked at her in surprise. When she first met the young woman, she'd been very impressed and in awe at how intelligent she was and how much she'd already achieved academically despite being only twenty one.

"Are you sure? You can only transfer courses once. And it's already three months into the course, there will be a lot of work to catch up with."

Joey nodded, suddenly confident in her decision.

"Yes I'm sure. I know it will be a lot of work, but the subject I've chosen means I will have a lot of help. Off the top of my head, I know of at least 6 people that would bend over backwards to help and they're already training me in the area."

"Really? Which area is that?"

"The FBI. I'm enrolled part time at the academy and I'm training to be a medic as part of the Behavioural Analysis Unit. My uncle's unit chief and saw I had potential. His boss agreed and enrolled me to the academy the next day."

The woman looked even more surprised and in awe. She shook her head, couldn't believe just how young Joey was and already at the FBI academy. She knew from experience it usually took around two years to graduate and to get to the BAU took about 5 years to accomplish. Here Joey was, only twenty one and already a part of the BAU. All she needed was the paperwork to qualify.

"So I guess you'll be enrolling on a criminology course?"

"Yes. Are there any courses that combine criminology, psychology and possibly forensics?"

"Not all three. However you can combine any two of them."

Joey thought about her options and decided quickly.

"Criminology and psychology is the best way to go."

A few clicks of the mouse later and it was done. Joey smiled as the timetable was handed to her and within a few minutes she found herself sitting in the head of department's office. The head of department was an ex FBI agent herself, now known as Barbara Jennings but previously known as SSA Jennings, unit chief of the homicide department.

"Well Miss Hotchner, I can see you have a very impressive resume for your age. I was almost thirty before I even came close to studying a master's degree and you already have one. Why do you want to transfer courses?"

Joey explained about her admission to the FBI and her wishes to learn as much as she could about the field she would be working in. Barbara smiled.

"That's why the name is familiar. You're Aaron's niece aren't you?"

Joey nodded.

"Yeah, I am. He and Strauss authorised my admission and Dr Spencer Reid is my training officer."

Barbara looked surprised at that.

"I only met Reid once before I came here full time. Isn't he a bit young to be a training officer?"

"That's what Strauss said, but we decided it would be good for him to teach me to give him more teaching experience. Also, we're nearer in age and he doesn't realise socialise that often so it's a way to get him more people skills and for me to connect more with people nearer my age. He's a great teacher. The only thing he lets the others teach me is how to use a gun and how to chase criminals. Anything physical is not his forte."

Barbara chuckled and shook her head.

"Well, you can't argue that logic then. Anyway, welcome to the department. We won't tell anyone you're a cadet because it may upset a few of the students. If you just come with me, I can take you to meet your lecturers and they can give you a list of textbooks as well as the assignments you'll need to catch up on."

By the time Joey left the campus, it was almost 7.45 and she had her arms full of papers, folders and a couple f textbooks she'd been lent until she got her own copies. By the time she arrived at Spencer's apartment, it was almost 8 and when he answered the door, she could see the worry showing in his eyes. She smiled apologetically.

"Sorry. I got a bit sidetracked."

One of the books shifted in her arms and she flinched as the pile began to slip out of her grip. Spencer caught the toppling stack of paper and glanced down, his eyes widening slightly in surprise as he read one of the book titles.

"Introduction to Criminology?" he questioned.

"Can I come in to answer that one?" she asked.

Spencer stepped to the side and let her in. She dropped her bag next to the door and placed the stack of papers carefully next to it before moving to the kitchen. As she rustled through the cupboards and found enough ingredients to put a decent meal together, she explained her new plans to Spencer, who looked impressed.

"Are you sure that's what you want to do?" he asked.

"Yes, it is. Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays I'm at the academy all day, Tuesdays, Wednesday and Thursday evenings and Friday mornings I'm at college and finally I do medic training on Friday afternoons with extra medic training on Saturdays. Sundays will be when I get all my assignments and essays done."

Spencer shook his head, stunned.

"That is a very packed schedule. Are you sure you won't burn out? And what about if we get a case you have to come on for your training?"

"It's all sorted. The college have said that they will go by my speed. So if I say to them I'm ready to sit an exam three months early, they will allow it. Also they will let me have any time off I need for cases. Speaking of, the one you gave me to try and solve was a bit too easy. I know there are areas to improve on, but still, I figured it out in about an hour."

Spencer snorted.

"I know you did. I made it easier deliberately. Are you sure you want to go over that today r do you want to star catching up with college work?"

Joey smiled softly at him as she served the food onto plates.

"Probably both. I have a free day tomorrow so I'll go over the case with you then go home and start on the work."

"Or, you can just stay here and I can help you with both and get double the load done. If we both put our heads together we can probably get you caught up in double time."

Joey nodded.

"True. With your eidetic memory and IQ of a genius combined with my wit and charm and IQ of 160, I'm sure it will be okay."

"Deal"

Once they finished their meal, Joey called Aaron to fill him in on the day's events and to say she was staying at Spencer's that night. He was supportive of her career plan changes and agreed with them that it would be better for Joey to stay there to catch up on work. He warned her that Jack was ill and had been sick all day and the last thing Joey needed was to be ill when she needed to do a lot of work. As Joey laughed and finished the conversation, she looked at Spencer and smiled to see him the most relaxed he'd been in weeks. She saw he was also watching her and she rubbed the back of her neck nervously, wishing his eyes didn't turn her brain to mush every time she saw them.

"So, my case file." She spoke.

Spencer coughed awkwardly as if he'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar and pulled out her file.

"Yes. Right, you're analysis was a bit lengthy and you could cut it down a bit..."

Midnight came and passed, then one o'clock also came and passed yet the pair stayed on the sofa, discussing the work Joey had missed, each as animated and interested as the other. By the time it hit three in the morning, Joey put an end to the conversation.

"I think we'd better stop there or we won't be getting any sleep tonight. The last thing either of us need is to try and play catch up on sleep because we let our sleeping patterns go nuts."

Spencer laughed softly and the pair of them tucked the work away in a corner of the living room. Spencer then turned the TV on and smiled when he saw there was a Star Trek marathon on. Joey moved into the kitchen and came back with two hot chocolates. She gave one to Spencer and turned the light off before sitting next to him to watch the show. Half an hour later, Joey moved slightly and leant herself on Spencer's shoulder. Spencer glanced down and she sat up again.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

Spencer laughed.

"That's fine. I wasn't uncomfortable. It was actually...a nice feeling."

Joey smiled and put her head back on his shoulder. They were silent for a few minutes before Spencer spoke.

"I felt JJ's stomach today and the baby kicked. It was such a strange feeling, and I have to admit it kind of freaked me out a little" he said, with a soft chuckle in his voice.

For a brief moment, Joey's heart stabbed painfully at the memory of her own baby kicking her and felt tears well up. Spencer noticed her lack of response and at first thought she was sleeping. When he looked and saw she was trying not to cry, he immediately grew concerned.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

With every fibre of her being, Joey wanted to say yes, that everything was fine. However, when she opened her mouth to say it, a sob came out instead. Her shoulders began to shake and she took a few deep breathes to calm herself.

"I'm sorry. It's just...the last baby I felt kick was my own." She sad very softly.

Spencer froze, not sure if he'd heard right and gazed into her eyes.

"What?" he asked.

"The only people who know are Aaron, Hayley, JJ and now you. I was pregnant when I was 17. My boyfriend came home drunk one night, we got into a fight and he pushed me down the stairs. I was battered but lived. The baby didn't. He died in my arms. He was so tiny, only 1lb. He barely fit in my hand and he just, his lungs just couldn't..."

She broke off, her tears finally claiming her. Spencer immediately put his arms round her and hugged her, gently rocking backwards and forwards to comfort her. Eventually stilled and he kept his arms round her.

"I think about him all the time. I called him Caleb Joshua and I always think about what may have happened if he lived. What would he look like, whether I would have been a good mom to him, whether he would be intelligent, it haunts me."

Spencer didn't reply immediately, but when he did he spoke softly.

"I think he would have been a very intelligent and handsome boy, after all he had you for a mom. And for the record, I think you'd have been and one day will be, an amazing mother. There's no way you could be a bad mom, you're too much of a beautiful person inside and out not to be."

Joey looked up at him with tears in her eyes, then buried her face in his chest and once more, he rocked her as she let out the pain she'd been holding back for the past three years.


	5. Banter

_Hey guys! Thanks again for the reviews, alerts and favourites! On with the show..._

When Joey returned home the next day, she had a large smile on her face. Opening up to Spencer and telling him about Caleb had helped her and she felt a lot closer to the doctor than she had before. When she woke up, she was in his bed and she looked out to see he was asleep on the sofa. She woke him up with a cup of coffee and he responded by giving her a sleepy smile that made her heart melt.

She'd always found that Spencer made her feel something more than friendship but it wasn't until this morning that she'd finally admitted to herself that she had a major crush on him and actually wanted to act on it. She knew he'd never hurt her, it just wasn't in his nature to hurt anyone. She had no worries of him getting drunk as he rarely, if ever, drank and he was so calm and collected she couldn't see him losing his cool.

Spencer hadn't been awkward round her either, which helped. She had been worried that her breakdown last night would have made him feel strange around her but he simply accepted the coffee with his sleepy smile and asked her what her plans were. When she told him she was going to spend the day locked in her room working, he smiled and promised he would be ringing every hour to force her to take a break and not to work too hard. She smirked and nodded, knowing he was just as bad as she was for things like that. She left the apartment shortly after with a smile and even plucked up the courage to kiss his cheek, leaving both of them blushing furiously as she shut the door behind her.

Now, she found herself smiling and unable to stop. She opened the front door and a number of things happened at once. Hayley and Aaron both yelled to her, Jack sat on the floor crying and Joey found herself sliding and grasping the door handle for dear life to stop herself from landing on the puddle of sick on the floor. Her bag dropped and she narrowly avoided it hitting the puddle thanks to the kick she gave it, sending it across the room and causing the books and papers in it to fly across the room. Kicking also caused her to lose her balance and she found herself on her back, with Aaron hovering over her.

"Eww, that's gross" she grumbled.

Aaron looked a mixture of amused and grossed out and Joey smiled, before giggling and before they knew it, she was laughing hysterically as she stood up and flicked the sick off her jacket. Jack stopped crying and giggled with her and Hayley and Aaron both joined in the laughter. When they all calmed down, Joey glanced at the puddle.

"Still feeling a bit sick Jack?" she asked.

Aaron snorted and started laughing again, only laughing harder when Hayley nudged him, trying hard to frown but failing spectacularly. Jack nodded shyly and Joey smiled softly at him. She then noticed that he had sick down his front and sighed softly.

"That's okay buddy. Come here, we'll go clean up and your daddy can clean the floor."

It was Hayley's turn to laugh as Aaron gave his niece a horrified look. Joey simply shrugged as she scooped her cousin into her arms and carried him to the bathroom. She stripped his clothes off and switched the shower on, causing him to let out a small squeal when the cold water hit his body.

"I'm sorry." She gasped and quickly turned the water warmer.

Jack sat down and looked up at Joey with big eyes. Joey smiled at him, her heart stabbing again as she washed him, thinking that if he'd lived, Caleb would be the same age as Jack and she probably would have been doing this every day for her son. She rarely helped out with washing, clothing and feeding Jack, mainly because she was usually busy doing her own thing. She found she enjoyed the time alone with him, getting to know him better. Jack suddenly splashed her and she splashed back.

"Don't start Jack, because I will win. Maybe when you feel better we'll have a proper water fight, okay?"

"Okay" jack agreed eagerly.

Joey let him wash himself and turned to the towel cupboard. With her back to Jack, she stripped down to her underwear and wrapped one of the large towels round her. She then put her hair into a bun, grimacing as she felt the pieces of sick in it. She was grateful for one thing; she'd been around sick a lot during her stint at med school as they worked on hospital wards once a week from the first week. Her sense of smell was a lot sharper but she'd also learnt how to breathe without actually smelling the foul smells, so at least the smell didn't make her want to add to the contents.

"I'm clean now." Jack said.

Joey turned to look at him and noticed he had gone very pale. Acting instinctively, she picked him up and darted into the toilet next door with him, just in time for him to be sick once more. Hayley came in behind them and put a hand on Joey's shoulder.

"Hey, I'll take over. You go clean up. You smell."

Joey grinned and nodded, disappearing into the shower to clean herself. When she came back out, Hayley was carrying jack towards the sofa and she saw Aaron still mopping the hallway floor with disinfectant. She laughed and when he glared up at her, she smirked and moved over to join her aunt and cousin. She put a hand on Jack's head and frowned.

"He has a pretty bad fever. I'm going to the pharmacy, I know what he needs."

Hayley nodded and Joey headed to the store. Ten minutes later she returned to see Aaron out the front mowing the lawn and Hayley handing him a drink. She moved inside and Hayley followed, seeing that Joey was in a medical frame of mind. At that moment, she was a doctor and Jack was her patient. She placed a paracetamol on the counter and crushed it up before adding hot water and lemon to it. Then she added a sachet of a white powder to it and stirred it.

"What was that?" Hayley asked.

"It's a mixture of salt and different ions that replace moisture in the body and prevent dehydration. It's called dioralyte. The paracetamol will help bring his fever down and it will help the aches and pains he probably has. If in an hour he's not improving I'm going to give him another lukewarm shower to break the fever but if that doesn't work, he's going to the ER, okay?"

Hayley looked worried, but one look in Joey's calm, reassuring eyes had her nodding.

"Okay. I trust you Joey."

Joey smiled and moved over to give Jack the drink. At first he spat it out and began to cry but after a lot of coaxing and bargaining, Joey managed to persuade him to drink it and he lay back down, happily sucking on the lollipop she promised him. He soon fell asleep and Joey smiled as she felt his fever had started to go down.

"How is he?" Aaron asked as he came into the house.

"He'll be fine. His fever's broken so now it's best to let him sleep it off."

Hayley walked over and hugged Joey.

"Thank you so much. I had no clue what to do for him."

Joey hugged her aunt back.

"Six months ago, I wouldn't have known either. I read it in one of my textbooks. It was all about how to treat fevers and colds and it had a load about paediatric treatment too. Thank god for having a semi-eidetic memory"

Hayley tilted her head.

"Semi?" she asked.

Joey nodded.

"Yeah, I don't have a completely photographic memory like Spencer, but I do have a memory that if I read, see or hear something I'm really interested in then I remember it in detail. I was told by my lecturer it's known as being semi-eidetic."

Hayley shook her head and Aaron smiled.

"So basically, there will be two young geniuses in the BAU?" she asked.

"No way, Spencer is a lot more intelligent than I am. He's never even studied medicine before yet he knew more facts and figures about certain areas that I didn't know and I've studied it for nearly four years in great detail!"

Aaron laughed and gave her a small slap on the back.

"That's Reid for you. Still, you always have been an extraordinarily talented girl, don't put yourself down."

"I'm not, I'm just saying his brain is double that of mine." Joey answered with a smile.

Hayley smiled at the pair and walked back over to Jack, feeling his forehead and letting out a relieved breath when she felt his temperature was almost back to normal. It was times like that when she was glad for Joey, especially the fact that she was able to remain so calm and collected. Even though Hayley saw the worry cross Joey's face, when the young woman said she knew what to do and explained everything, it was with confidence and reassurance. Hayley could only thank God that her niece had been there to help.

Joey spent the next few minutes picking everything up off the floor that was in her bag. When she picked a sheet off the table, she noticed a letter with her name on it and froze, recognising the writing immediately.

"Hayley? When did this letter arrive?"

"Umm, about an hour before you got back. Is everything okay?" she replied.

"Yeah, it's from Kiya. I was just wandering is all." She quickly lied.

Once she'd gathered everything together, she went up to her room and ripped the letter open.

_Joey,_

_I hope you got my last letter. I asked around and I know you're in DC. Please come home, I really need to see you. I miss you so much._

_Mike_

Joey snorted as she read the short, blunt letter.

"You miss out on being with me the day you killed my baby." She muttered and threw the letter in the trash.

She lay down on her bed and stared up at the ceiling, reflecting on her life. She was the happiest she'd been in years and there even a possibility something could happen between her and Spencer that would help her to move on. In a few months she would be an FBI agent and she would be starting her first proper job as a medic in the BAU. Life couldn't get any better for her.

So why did she feel a cold, ominous feeling creeping around her heart?


	6. Memorian

_Memoriam_

Another month passed and Joey had to admit she was feeling slightly more than a little bit stressed out. She'd managed to catch up with the work she needed but as Spencer had predicted, she was beginning to burn out with her new timetable. She was supposed to go to Las Vegas one the latest case, but Aaron ordered her to stay behind and spend the few days catching up on rest. He'd even gone as far as to lock all her work in his office at the BAU so she had no way of accessing it. Joey had been grateful for his concern but after two days of doing nothing she was ready to work and was growing increasingly frustrated that she was unable to.

So, she resorted to doing what she did best; finding her own entertainment. She'd ended up spending six hours on the assault course at the academy one day, then three hours in the firing range the next. She also spent more time with Jack, playing various games with him and teaching him how to use a yo-yo when he asked her what one even was. No more letters had come from Mike and she began to feel the ominous cold leave her slowly day by day.

"Joey?"

Joey jumped and slipped off the wall on the assault course, only just grabbing the rope in time to steady herself before she'd hit the ground. Hanging upside down, she glanced and saw Aaron standing there.

"Oh, hey Aaron. Didn't know y'all were back."

Aaron smiled at the Texan accent that occasionally broke through in her speech and gave her a mock frown.

"Well, I came home an hour ago expecting to see you relaxing, only to have Hayley tell me that you've been here most of the time because you were bored back home."

Joey turned herself the right way up and jumped down before rubbing the back of her neck and grinning sheepishly at him.

"Yeah, well I'm really not the sort of person to sit around relaxing, so I wanted to do something. Since my physical exam is only a month away and I have yet to master half the stuff on the assault course, I figured I'd just spend some time out here to get some practice in."

Aaron sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"What am I going to do with you?" he asked.

Joey grinned.

"Well, there are many options but since you love me so much as I am, I guess you won't really do anything."

Aaron chuckled and ruffled her hair. Joey grinned and hugged him.

"Welcome back, by the way. Are the others all here too?"

"Not all of them. Reid stayed behind to visit his mom. Morgan and Rossi stayed, declaring they wanted a weekend to 'live it up, Vegas style'"

Joey laughed, picturing Morgan in the middle of a Las Vegas club with twenty girls on each arms and poor Rossi shunned to the back. She was a bit disappointed that she wouldn't get to spend time with Spencer for a few more days but she ended up shrugging it off.

A couple of days later, Joey was sitting at Spencer's desk, typing up one of her assignments when she heard Garcia talk and hooked her attention immediately.

"I believe that young JJ here is going into labour."

Joey immediately jumped out of her chair and headed over to where Penelope was fussing over JJ, who was clutching her stomach.

"Okay, Penelope it really isn't a good idea to crowd someone in labour. We need to get JJ to hospital."

She called out to Aaron and when he came out of his office and saw the situation, he threw his keys to Joey. Joey reached into JJ's pocket and pulled out her cell.

"Thanks Aaron. I'm going with her and so is Penelope. Can you let Spencer, Derek and Dave know?"

Aaron nodded and Joey smiled before escorting JJ to the car. It was a unanimous decision that Joey sat in the back with JJ while Penelope drove as Joey was the only one with any medical knowledge and training. As they slid into the car, Joey rang Will and told him what was happening. He agreed to meet them at the hospital and Joey gave JJ the phone back.

"Okay JJ all I really know at this stage is to tell you to breathe."

JJ grinned, turning it into a grimace as a contraction hit. Joey sympathised with her. Even though he was born 17 weeks early, Caleb had to be born naturally, so Joey knew the pain JJ was going through and when Penelope had said Joey was the medic, JJ and Joey shared a look, knowing that Joey also knew exactly what to do as she herself had been through it.

When they arrived at the hospital, will was already there with a nurse and a wheelchair. Joey offered to fill in the paperwork for JJ so Will could go with her and the offer was accepted gratefully. JJ was wheeled to the delivery room and Joey was left outside with Penelope. It didn't take long to fill out the paperwork and after a quick conversation with the receptionist, who was a classmate of Joey's when she started at med school, Will came out.

"She's seven centimetres dilated and asked me to let you know she appreciates the help. Also, she wants everyone here if they can be."

"Hotch and Prentiss are on their way and as far as I know, the other three are wrapping up in Nevada but they won't be here for about another ten hours or so." Penelope responded.

Will returned to the delivery room to tell JJ and five minutes later, Aaron and Emily arrived. Then came the very long wait. Aaron went home to tuck jack into bed and came back, armed with a book for Joey to read. Joey smiled thankfully at him, bored of the gossip magazines Emily and Penelope were currently absorbed in. Suddenly, ten hours after arriving, there were loud yells from the delivery room, and will was heard telling JJ to push. Joey held her breath and when she heard the bay's cries, she breathed in relief. She didn't want to think of Caleb but at that moment she was reliving the moment she pushed him out to silence. He never cried and only breathed for about thirty seconds before he passed away. To hear JJ's baby filled Joey with happiness, knowing he had arrived safely. Not long after, they were ushered into the room and JJ introduced baby Henry to them all. He was gently passed round the room but when Penelope tried to give him to Joey, Joey found herself unable to face holding him and instead told her she didn't trust herself not to drop him. Penelope didn't question it and instead, gave him to a smiling Derek Morgan who had just entered the room. Joey felt a hand on her back and looked to see Spencer smiling at her. She smiled back and his hand pressed tighter to her back, silently comforting her.

While Spencer was left with JJ, Joey took the time to go outside for some fresh air. As soon as the doors shut behind her, she found herself fighting tears. She really was happy for Will and JJ and she was so pleased they'd chosen Penelope and Spencer for godparents but there was a part of her that still ached for her son. The fact that Henry was the first newborn she'd come in contact with since the miscarriage made it hurt more. She spent a few minutes controlling herself before returning to the group. Will smiled at her.

"Ah good, you're back. JJ wants to talk with you."

She entered the room and JJ gave her a soft smile. Her eyes, while tired, were also shining with the love only a mother can give her child. Joey gave her a tiny smile in return.

"Will said you wanted to speak to me."

"I do. I wanted to let you hold Henry with just me in the room. That way you can cry and not get the questions. If you want to, that is?"

Joey's heart swelled at JJ's understanding and she found herself nodding, suddenly wanting nothing more than to hold the infant. As soon as he was placed in her arms and she looked down at him, she started to cry, only it wasn't sad tears as she thought it would be. He looked nothing like Caleb had looked, which helped and she found herself smiling in happiness.

"Hi Henry, I'm your aunty Joey. Well, I'm not your aunt but I hope you call me it anyway. I'm going to teach you everything I know about medicine one day, then you can be a world renowned doctor, can't you?"

JJ couldn't stop the smile on her face or the tears that crept up in her eyes at the heart-warming sight. There was a gentle knock at the door, and Joey nodded at JJ, letting her know that she was okay and that her tears were happy, not sad. Spencer came in and gave Joey a worried glance, but the smile she gave him in return made his worry vanish.

"Hey, Hotch said he's got to leave now. If you want to stay longer, you're welcome to stay at mine tonight."

"I'd like that, thanks Spencer."

Spencer gave her a single nod and walked back out to tell Aaron Joey would be staying longer.

"So, long have they said you'll be in here for?"

"Only a couple of days. Between you and me though, I want to go now. However, I think both the hospital and Will may have something to say about that."

Joey sniggered.

"Not to mention the rest of the team. And me."

JJ laughed and smiled at her friend. Joey looked down at the baby in her arms and her eyes softened when she saw he had fallen asleep.

"Okay, little man here is asleep and no offense, but you look exhausted so I'm going to go. Congratulations again."

She gave Henry back to JJ and gave the older woman a hug before leaving the room. She looked around to see the only people left were Will and Spencer, the others long gone. Will gave her a hug and joined JJ and Spencer smiled at her.

"Ready to go?"He asked.

"absolutely." She responded.

When they arrived at Spencer's, Joey had to shake him awake as he'd fallen asleep in the cab. She ushered him into his room and gently pushed him onto the bed. She then sat down next to him and saw just how tired he was.

"You look wiped out. You weren't in Nevada to visit your mom, were you?"

Spencer opened his eyes and looked at Joey, seeing the concern on her face. He reached a hand up and gently touched her face, giving her a reassuring smile.

"No. There was something from my past I had to find out about. Rossi and Morgan helped me out."

Joey blushed at the touch on her face and placed her hand over his. For a moment, they simply gazed into each other's eyes, then Joey leant in and kissed his forehead.

"Thanks for letting me stay, Spencer."

"It's no worries. I didn't know how you'd feel being round the baby so I thought you might like to stay here to vent if needed."

"Thank you" Joey said.

Spencer didn't respond and as his eyes slid shut, Joey kissed him on the cheek.

"Goodnight Spencer." She whispered as she shut the door behind her.


	7. More Letters

_Hey guys, hope you're all still enjoying this! I've got a lot of assignments at the minute so the next update may not be for a couple of weeks. Still, I hope you like this chapter! :)_

_..._

The next letter came to Joey a month later. She was sitting on the lawn reading a book when the postman walked up to her and handed her the post. She thanked him and quickly shifted through, frowning when she saw mike's handwriting staring at her. She wasn't going to open it, but when she saw the stamp said it was sent from Washington DC, she immediately opened it and began to read.

_My darling,_

_Why would you do this to me? Why would you ignore me and make me follow you?_

_I'm a bit annoyed, not too much, but still, it is extremely rude to be so ignorant. Every day I see you with them, with __**him**__ and it tears me apart that you've forgotten me and our baby. You've moved on and I don't like it. I still love you so very much, why can't you feel the same about me instead of that geeky looking guy I see you with?_

_I know you met your teammates baby the day he was born- how did it feel, holding a baby when ours died in the same arms you used to hold this one? I've apologised for that but clearly you have not forgiven me. I will have to rectify that somehow._

_I am in DC, and I do expect a response this time._

_Mike._

Joey folded the letter and put it inside her book. Not caring that people would think she as crazy, she took a deep breath and yelled out.

"Here's your answer asshole! Leave me and my family the hell alone and crawl back under whatever slime filled hovel you came from!"

A neighbour peered at her from over his hedge and she gave him a weak wave before disappearing back into the house. She slammed her book on the side and let out a low growl, glad that everyone was out as she didn't want them to see her in a bad mood. She was also afraid. He was in DC and she could tell from this letter that he was angry because in his eyes, she'd made him come here. Deciding she didn't want to sit around worrying about it, she grabbed her keys and headed out to the one place she knew she could relax.

Spencer was sitting watching Star Trek when he heard the door knock. Curious as he wasn't expecting anybody, he answered the door and saw Joey standing there, a bottle of wine in one hand, a Chinese takeout in the other.

"Fancy company?" she asked.

"Sure" Spencer responded.

He let her in and saw immediately that she was tense about something. He watched as she put the DVD in the machine and noticed she wasn't as chatty as usual, nor was she turning to face him as she usually would.

"Are you okay?" he asked her.

"Hmm? Oh, I'm fine; I just had a bit of a fall out with one of my friends."

Spencer could see she wasn't being entirely truthful but decided to let it slide this time. He sat down on the sofa and Joey took her usual position curled up next to him with her head on his shoulder. They'd grown a lot closer over the last few weeks and they both had feelings for each other however apart from the odd kiss on the cheek, neither had grown closer to telling the other how they felt.

Halfway through the film, Joey looked up at Spencer.

"Hey, do you want some of the wine?"

"Yeah sure, that'd be great"

Joey got out of the seat and moved into the kitchen to uncork the bottle and get glasses out. She moved effortlessly through the cupboards to reach the items. Spencer came in silently behind her and watched in fascination as she took things out of the cupboards.

"I've lived here almost three years yet I think you know my kitchen better than I do." He joked.

Joey laughed and placed the now open wine bottle on the counter.

"Yeah, well I think that has something to do with the fact I cook in here a lot more than you do so kinda have to know where everything is, wouldn't you agree."

"I wouldn't argue." Spencer nodded.

Joey grabbed the glasses and they headed back into the living room to watch the rest of the film. She sat the glasses down and hit her head.

"Dammit I left the wine in the kitchen."

She playfully shoved Spencer when he laughed at her and moved back into the kitchen. As she grabbed the bottle of wine, she accidentally knocked his bag off the counter and sent it onto the floor. The contents spilled out and she grumbled as she began picking them up and placing them on the counter. A small card fell out of the pile and when she looked at it, she froze. There was a lipstick kiss on the back. When she read the front she remembered the barmaid back on their last job. Austin, if she remembered the woman's name right. Sighing, Joey realised that she was out of her league. Spencer was a genius, and she was a silly kid in comparison. There was no way he would choose her when there were so many women like Austin out there.

She placed the card back on the pile and put the wine back on the counter. She moved back into the living room and walked over to her coat.

"Hey, I thought you'd gotten lost...where are you going?" Spencer asked, seeing her heading to the door, her coat in her hand.

"I'm sorry, I...I shouldn't have come. It was stupid of me, you have a life and I know you'll be happy with Austin, I...I just...I need to go."

Spencer's eyes widened in confusion, then turned to surprise as his mind clicked three things at once; one, she thought he was with Austin. Two, she was upset over it which lead to three, she had feelings for him. Using what little courage he could muster on the spot, Spencer jumped from the sofa and moved quickly over to Joey.

Joey put her hand on the knob and opened the door, only to have it firmly slam shut, the handle pulled out of her grasp. She gasped and instinctively flinched as she felt the body pressed up against her. Spencer sensed her flinch and relaxed, in turn making her relax. Joey turned and looked up at him, surprise written over her face.

"How did you get there so fast?" was the only coherent thing she could say.

"Contrary to belief I can run, I just prefer not to."

"Oh."

Joey looked down at the floor, wanting to leave but also wanting to see what Spencer would do next. A hand gently took her coat and she allowed him to remove it from her grip, watching as he threw it across the room. She glanced up and saw his eyes were staring at her with an intensity that made her knees weak. She opened her mouth to speak but before she could utter a sound, his lips crashed onto hers and he pulled her tightly to him. She instantly threw her arms round his neck and kissed him deeper, moaning as his hands grasped her waist and pulled her even closer to him. He moved slowly backwards and the next thing they knew they were lying on the sofa, panting for breath as they broke apart. Joey, having fallen on top of Spencer, looked at him in shock.

"Wow" she whispered.

Spencer smiled warmly and brushed a strand of hair off her face, his eyes showing the love and care he held for her.

"If you knew how long I wanted to do that for" he muttered.

Joey smiled and kissed him once.

"I feel the same way."

Spencer leaned up to kiss her properly but Joey pulled back, making his lips catch her cheek instead. He gave her a puzzled look.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"What about Austin?" Joey asked him.

"That was just me proving Morgan wrong about something."

Joey couldn't help the smile on her face and Spencer took the opportunity while she was distracted to kiss her, this time much more tenderly than before. Joey melted into his embrace and the rest of the film faded into the background as they fell asleep cradled in each other's arms.

Joey felt lighter when she woke up, her face gently resting on Spencer's chest. His arms were wrapped round her waist and his soft breathing was catching the back of her neck, sending pleasant shivers down her back. She stretched as she yawned and the grip on her waist tightened.

"I don't want to get up yet" Spencer mumbled into her neck.

She giggled and swatted his arm.

"Neither do I but you have work and I have college today and I need to get home to change. No way am I wearing these clothes two days in a row."

Spencer chuckled and five minutes later, Joey finally managed to separate their lips and pushed herself off the sofa. She reached for her jacket and Spencer kissed her one more time as she reached the door.

"I'm never going to tire of that." She smiled against his lips.

"Me neither" he whispered back.

Joey sighed happily as Spencer shut the door behind her but the smile on her face didn't last long as she spotted a small white envelope stuck on the wall next to the door, with her name on it. Panicking slightly, she tore it off the wall and stuffed it into her pocket before heading quickly out of the building. Once she knew she was out of sight of Spencer, she took the letter out of her pocket and with shaking hands; she opened it and began to read.

_Joey_

_How could you? You let yourself be touched by __**HIM**__? What does he have that I don't? Haven't I asked you over and over again for a second chance? Now I see why you're ignoring me; you've been whoring yourself with that lanky piece of shit. I won't take it and I will never accept it. Even if you were to beg my forgiveness, I will never let you have it._

_We will meet again, very soon. That, I promise you._

_Mike._

_P.S- don't bother with the police. They won't be able to help._


End file.
